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Background: Dhat syndrome is a culture-bound syndrome found in men from India (and other South Asian countries), leading to a number of psychiatric problems.Aim: The study is aimed at studying the sociodemographic correlates of patients with Dhat syndrome and the occurrence of comorbid neurotic, stress-related, and somatic symptoms. It also aims to study the severity of comorbid anxiety and depressive symptoms.Settings and Design: This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in the Department of Psychiatry, Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute (Chennai).Materials and Methods: Fifty patients were recruited from consecutive outpatients attending the psychiatry department and assessment was carried out using a semi-structured pro forma, Dhat Syndrome Questionnaire, and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale.Statistical Analysis: The data collected here was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.Results: Most patients were found to be in the second decade of life and hailed from urban areas and lower socioeconomic status. Media and peer group were the source of information for three-fourths of the patients. A majority of the patients reported with somatic symptoms. Mild to moderate anxiety and depression scores were most commonly observed.Conclusion: The current study has illustrated that Dhat syndrome is associated with a lot of misinformation and leads to mild–moderate depression and anxiety symptoms, making its awareness and treatment extremely important.

Background. Alcoholism is a major threat to the individual as well as the society and the maximum burden of the illness is borne by the family. Aim. The study is aimed at assessing the pattern of burden on the caregivers of alcohol dependent patients and at assessing the relationship between the severity of dependence and the burden on caregivers. Settings and Design. Cross-sectional descriptive study conducted in the Department of Psychiatry, Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute. Materials and Methods. A cross-sectional assessment was done in 200 patients with alcohol dependence and their caregivers. The severity of dependence and the pattern of burden on caregivers were assessed. Statistical Analysis. The data thus collected was analyzed using SPSS version 20. Results. The study demonstrates that caregivers of alcohol dependent patients reported significant objective burden and subjective burden. Furthermore, the severity of alcohol dependence and the domains of burden such as financial burden, disruption of family interaction, and disruption of family routine activities were positively correlated with high level of significance. Conclusion. The current study has illustrated that all the caregivers experienced significant amount of burden which has to be addressed for better treatment outcome of the patients.